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The use of array probes in non-destructive inspection of materials and components offers several advantages over conventional single-element probe testing method, including faster inspection time, larger coverage area in one pass, and more efficient probe lift-off noise suppression. The paper proposes an efficient modeling technique to predict the output signals of an array of open-ended rectangular waveguide probe when interrogating a surface-breaking crack in a metal. The proposed technique involves two stages. First, a method-of-moments formulation is adopted to characterize the array probe by evaluating its S-parameters in free space. This stage provides a flexible framework that enables one to determine the incident field for a desired probe excitation mode. The incident field in each excitation mode can then be used to analyze the probe-crack interaction from which the orientation, location and dimensions of a crack can be inferred. The validity and computation efficiency of the proposed modeling technique is demonstrated by comparing the simulation results of a prototype 2 × 2 cell X-band array probe with the experimental data and those obtained using a commercial finite integration technique code. It has also been shown that appropriate inversion curves could be obtained to determine the unknown quantities of a crack (depth, length, width, location and orientation) without resorting to a mechanical scanning of the workpiece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Array-designed triboelectric nanogenerators (AD-TENGs) have firmly established themselves as state-of-the-art technologies for adeptly converting mechanical interactions into electrical signals. Central to the AD-TENG's prowess is its inherent modularity and the multifaceted, grid-like design that pave the way to robust and adaptable detection platforms for wearables and real-time health monitoring systems. In this review, we aim to elucidate the quintessential role of array design in AD-TENGs for healthcare detection, emphasizing its ability to heighten sensitivity, spatial resolution, and dynamic monitoring while ensuring redundancy and simultaneous multi-detection. We begin from the fundamental aspects, such as working principles and design basis, then venture into methodologies for optimizing AD-TENGs that ensure the capture of intricate physiological changes, from nuanced muscle movements to sensitive electronic skin. After this, our exploration extends to the possible cutting-edge electronic systems that are built with specific advantages in filtering noise, magnifying signal-to-noise ratios, and interpreting complex real-time datasets on the basis of AD-TENGs. Culminating our discourse, we highlight the challenges and prospective pathways in the evolution of array-designed AD-TENGs, stressing the necessity to refine their sensitivity, adaptability, and reliability to perfectly align with the exacting demands of contemporary healthcare diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensor array geometry has a direct impact on the direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation of a seismic signal. In this paper, we design a planar array that aims to optimize the DOA estimation of a narrowband signal in the sense of the minimum mean-squared-periodic-error (MSPE) obtained by the maximum a-posteriori (MAP) estimator of the DOA. We investigate the MSPE of the MAP estimator as a main design criterion and compare it with the criteria: 1) the cyclic Bayesian Cramér-Rao bound (CBCRB); and 2) the expected log-likelihood (ELL). The theoretical properties of these criteria are discussed. We show that minimizing the CBCRB is equivalent to maximizing the expected Fisher information matrix. Additionally, maximizing the ELL under a uniform prior is equivalent to minimizing the Kullback-Leibler divergence between the posterior PDF and its estimation. The criteria are compared across three different array geometries, specifically: small arrays, uniform circular arrays (UCAs), and concentric circular arrays (CCAs). Simulation results show that 1) direct MAP-MSPE optimization notably exceeds CBCRB- and ELL-based designs, especially in small arrays; 2) UCAs have suboptimal performance compared to non-circular arrays in many scenarios; 3) under the MAP-MSPE criterion, CCAs match unconstrained design performance with lower computational complexity, making them preferable for smaller arrays; 4) for CCAs and larger UCAs, CBCRB and MAP-MSPE designs yield similar results, while the ELL design excels in the case of small UCAs. Our results highlight the need for selecting suitable array geometries and design criteria in accordance with the scenario and array size in order to achieve the best DOA estimation results.

A novel approach that does not require the number of sources as a priori is proposed to estimate the direction of arrival (DOA) based on a sparse non-uniform linear antenna array. To ensure the identifiability of the DOA, a specific configuration scheme of sparse array is designed. Based on this specific sparse array, firstly the fourth-order cumulant (FOC) is adopted to eliminate the impact imposed by Gaussian noise. Secondly, to circumvent eigenvalue decomposition or singular value decomposition, a propagator is constructed by using a Hermitian FOC matrix and a hyperparameter. Finally, a projection onto an irregular Toeplitz set is proposed to further improve estimation accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large-aperture radar composed of a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) planar array can complete 3D through-wall imaging (TWI), but the simultaneous work of the multiple transceiver channels leads to difficulties in designing the hardware. In engineering, multiple transceiver channels are usually realized by time-division multiplexing (TDM) in MIMO radar, which is called TDM MIMO radar. A time delay will be introduced when the channels are switched, which will cause high sidelobes and position deviation in the 3D imaging of moving targets, also known as range migration. This paper proposes a motion compensation algorithm based on sparse array, designed to eliminate range migration in moving targets in 3D TWI scenes. In the proposed algorithm, the coincident array elements of the equivalent array are used as the compensation channels to calculate the position difference of the target, which can correct the remaining MIMO channels. The proposed algorithm is compared with no compensation, and the reference-channel-based motion compensation algorithm (RCMCA). According to the simulation and experimental results, the proposed motion compensation algorithm can effectively eliminate sidelobes, and keep the position deviation within 0.30 m in the 3D TWI of moving targets under the TDM MIMO radar, without increasing the system complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike traditional phased-array only generating angle-dependent beampattern, the relatively new frequency diverse array (FDA) produces an angle-range-dependent transmit beampattern that can provide many new applications. However, although phased-array physical schemes and characteristics have received much recognition, there still are many open questions about FDA physical schemes and array design. In this paper, we propose an element locator polynomial rooting approach to design super-resolution FDA, where the polynomial is constructed according to the pre-specified FDA levels to enable its roots representing the element locations of the desired FDA. Furthermore, we systematically studies the designed FDA manifold curves for detection and estimation bounds in direction finding. All theoretical results are verified by numerical simulations, which show that FDA outperforms phased-array in terms of detection and resolution thresholds.

Arrays on personal terminals are feasible using mmWave frequencies, but are limited by mutual coupling. A standard specification for MIMO is −15 dB coupling which can be readily attained over a modest bandwidth, and decoupling modifications can reduce this to less than −20 dB. Such a change has relatively little impact on narrowband MIMO performance but is significant for wideband phased arrays, demonstrated here using simulation and measurement of a new design. For the element, we present a Yagi-Uda structure on PCB with a bandwidth from 22 to 44 GHz to cover a set of standard mmWave bands for 5G. Our prototype uses the RFIC packaging material Liquid Crystal Polymer which is suitable for Antenna-in-Package technology. For the array, the element spacing is set small enough to suppress grating lobes at the highest frequency. At the lowest frequencies, the lowest electrical spacing means the highest mutual coupling, and we apply a decoupling modification for this. The associated improvements in the impedance bandwidth, scan range, gain and radiation efficiency are presented for edge- and corner-mounted arrays designed for a mobile terminal such as a cellphone. Our array combining comprises simulation-based signal phasing and the simpler beam switching using element selection. The edge-mounted array has a 59% TARC bandwidth (24–44 GHz) over which the scan range is between ±60° and ±35°, the gain is 9.5 to 13 dBi with a radiation efficiency better than −0.2 dB. The corner-mounted switched array has peak gains of 6 to 9 dBi, showing the gain penalty associated with the simpler switched beam architecture. Finally, the impact of a cellphone chassis on the antenna performance is assessed by simulation.

Array-designed triboelectric nanogenerators (AD-TENGs) have firmly established themselves as state-of-the-art technologies for adeptly converting mechanical interactions into electrical signals. Central to the AD-TENG’s prowess is its inherent modularity and the multifaceted, grid-like design that pave the way to robust and adaptable detection platforms for wearables and real-time health monitoring systems. In this review, we aim to elucidate the quintessential role of array design in AD-TENGs for healthcare detection, emphasizing its ability to heighten sensitivity, spatial resolution, and dynamic monitoring while ensuring redundancy and simultaneous multi-detection. We begin from the fundamental aspects, such as working principles and design basis, then venture into methodologies for optimizing AD-TENGs that ensure the capture of intricate physiological changes, from nuanced muscle movements to sensitive electronic skin. After this, our exploration extends to the possible cutting-edge electronic systems that are built with specific advantages in filtering noise, magnifying signal-to-noise ratios, and interpreting complex real-time datasets on the basis of AD-TENGs. Culminating our discourse, we highlight the challenges and prospective pathways in the evolution of array-designed AD-TENGs, stressing the necessity to refine their sensitivity, adaptability, and reliability to perfectly align with the exacting demands of contemporary healthcare diagnostics.

Automotive radars are designed to enhance road user safety and reduce the number of accidents on public roads and there is a constant demand to improve the performance for these radars. In this paper, a novel proof-of-concept multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar architecture is presented by frequency modulated continuous waveform (FMCW) transmission. For enhanced angular resolution, the radar uses a two-tier antenna setup leading to a sparse array arrangement, mainly in an effort to mitigate grating lobes and to offer different illuminations of the same scenario. Also, the experimentally verified sparse radar antenna designed for target detection at the receiver, achieves modest sidelobe levels and grating lobes well below 12 dB from the main beam maximum, whilst still maintaining competitive half-power beamwidths when compared to more conventionally spaced arrays. Moreover, the high impedance bandwidth of this receiver array and the supporting radar electronics (more than 6%) allows for the detection of targets at only a 10 cm spatial separation. The complete system is also capable of seeing a wide field-of-view (FOV) since it utilizes a network of radar modules to cover the forward −90$^\circ$ to +90$^\circ$ angular range by sectorization. In the best case, the measured radar system can resolve targets that are a distance of just $\pm 2^\circ$ apart in angular separation.

Non-invasive sensors are designed to offer ease of installation and avoid contact with dangerous hot wires. To optimize the array design of sensors, a multi-objective optimization method considering sensitivity, array arrangement, and cost is proposed in this study. The total array induced charge Q and the location sensitivity S1 are established to evaluate the sensor performance. On the basis of these evaluation indexes, design criteria for the array arrangement are proposed, which include the electrode shape, the array profile, and the space interval angle between electrode elements. Following this design basis, two objective functions for the array design are investigated. The first objective function is based on the entropy-CRITIC weight of the two regression models and the second objective function is based on the manufacturing cost. For the multi-objective design, the NAGA-II algorithm is employed and the VIKOR strategy is used to select the decision from the Pareto set. Optimization results show that, compared with the original design, the value of the first objective function is improved by 74.35% and the value of the second objective function is reduced by 22.99%. It is found that the rectangular shape is suitable for the single-electrode element design. The sensing array is best designed in a ring profile, and the optimal number of electrodes is 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas-evolving reactions (GERs) are important in many electrochemical energy conversion technologies and chemical industries. The operation of GERs at high current densities is critical for their industrial implementation but remains challenging as it poses stringent requirements on the electrodes in terms of reaction kinetics, mass transfer, and electron transport. Here the general and rational design of self-standing carbon electrodes with vertically aligned porous channels, appropriate pore size distribution, and high surface area as supports for loading a variety of catalytic species by facile electrodeposition are reported. These electrodes simultaneously possess high intrinsic activity, large numbers of active sites, and efficient transport highways for ions, gases, and electrons, resulting in significant performance improvements at high current densities in diverse GERs such as urea oxidation, hydrogen evolution, and oxygen evolution reactions, as well as overall urea/water electrolyzers. As an example, the carbon electrode decorated with Ni(OH) 2 demonstrates a record-high current density of 1000 mA cm -2 at 1.360 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode, largely outperforming the conventional nickel foam-based counterpart and the state-of-the-art electrodes., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

A large-aperture radar composed of a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) planar array can complete 3D through-wall imaging (TWI), but the simultaneous work of the multiple transceiver channels leads to difficulties in designing the hardware. In engineering, multiple transceiver channels are usually realized by time-division multiplexing (TDM) in MIMO radar, which is called TDM MIMO radar. A time delay will be introduced when the channels are switched, which will cause high sidelobes and position deviation in the 3D imaging of moving targets, also known as range migration. This paper proposes a motion compensation algorithm based on sparse array, designed to eliminate range migration in moving targets in 3D TWI scenes. In the proposed algorithm, the coincident array elements of the equivalent array are used as the compensation channels to calculate the position difference of the target, which can correct the remaining MIMO channels. The proposed algorithm is compared with no compensation, and the reference-channel-based motion compensation algorithm (RCMCA). According to the simulation and experimental results, the proposed motion compensation algorithm can effectively eliminate sidelobes, and keep the position deviation within 0.30 m in the 3D TWI of moving targets under the TDM MIMO radar, without increasing the system complexity.

Advances in flexible integrated circuit technology and piezoelectric materials allow high-quality stretchable piezoelectric transducers to be built in a form that is easy to integrate with the body's soft, curved, and time-dynamic surfaces. The resulting capabilities create new opportunities for studying disease states, monitoring health/wellness, building human–machine interfaces, and performing other operations. However, more widespread application scenarios are placing new demands on the high flexibility and small size of the array. This paper provides a 8 × 8 two-dimensional flexible ultrasonic array (2D-FUA) based on laser micromachining; a novel single-layer "island bridge" structure was used to design flexible array and piezoelectric array elements to improve the imaging capability on complex surfaces. The mechanical and acoustoelectric properties of the array are characterized, and a novel laser scanning and positioning method is introduced to solve the problem of array element displacement after deformation of the 2D-FUA. Finally, a multi-modal localization imaging experiment was carried out on the multi-target steel pin on the plane and curved surface based on the Verasonics system. The results show that the laser scanning method has the ability to assist the rapid imaging of flexible arrays on surfaces with complex shapes, and that 2D-FUA has wide application potential in medical-assisted localization imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a novel beam shaping technique is developed to synthesize the array factor (AF) radiation pattern of linear and planar antenna arrays. The proposed method is established based on the expanding of AF using Legendre transform in conjunction with an integrand operator. A system of linear equations is derived and its solution is obtained using least-square method (LSM) for the required pattern. In addition, an iterative procedure is introduced to reduce the number of elements of the primary designed array for a specified mean square error (mse). Then, the proposed method is applied to synthesize the AF of planar and ring antenna arrays. To verify the performance of the proposed method, a few comprehensive well-known linear, planar, and ring arrays are examined. The obtained results show that the introduced method can be used to design the AF pattern of many types of practical arrays with good accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ionospheric Continuous‐wave E region Bistatic Experimental Auroral Radar (ICEBEAR) has been reconfigured using a phase error minimization and stochastic antenna location perturbation technique. The resulting 45‐baseline sparse non‐uniform coplanar T‐shaped array, ICEBEAR‐3D, is used for aperture synthesis radar imaging of low elevation targets. The reconfigured receiver antenna array now has a field of view ±45° azimuth and 0°–45° elevation at 0.1° angular resolution. Within this field of view no aliasing occurs. Radar targets are imaged using the Suppressed Spherical Wave Harmonic Transform (Suppressed‐SWHT) technique. This imaging method uses precalculated constant coefficient matrices to solve the integral transform from visibility to brightness through direct matrix multiplication. The method then suppresses image artefacts (dirty beam) due to undersampling by combining brightness maps of differing harmonic order. Measuring elevation angles of targets at low elevations with radar interferometers has been a long standing problem. ICEBEAR‐3D elucidates the underlying misinterpretations of the conventional geometry for vertical interferometry especially for low elevation angles. The proper phase reference vertical interferometry geometry is given which allows radar interferometers to unambiguously measure elevation angles from zenith to horizon without special calibration. The receiver antenna array reconfiguration, Suppressed‐SWHT imaging technique, and proper geometry for vertical interferometry are validated by showing agreement of the meteor trail altitude distribution with numerous data sets from other radars. Key Points: Ionospheric Continuous‐wave E region Bistatic Experimental Auroral Radar receiver antenna array reconfiguration design based on a phase error minimization techniqueAperture synthesis imaging using the Suppressed Spherical Wave Harmonic Transform (Suppressed‐SHWT)Application of the proper geometry for vertical interferometry resolves low elevation angles unambiguously [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the safety and comfort of a driver, the wireless technology is used for inter-vehicular communication (IVC). During the lane change in highways, the driver of a high speed vehicle can exploit the antenna technology using a microcontroller. Here, a 4-element Tchebyscheff phased array of microstrip antennas for IVC application is designed at millimeter wave frequency band of 60GHz. The details of this array design with feed network, its design layout and fabricated prototype are presented. Another 4-element microstrip Tchebyscheff phased array for 6GHz IVC application is designed and the measured result is compared with the simulated result.

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) involves the transmission of laser pulses along a fiber‐optic cable. These pulses are backscattered at fiber inhomogeneities and again detected by the same interrogator unit that emits the pulses. Elastic deformation along the fiber causes phase shifts in the backscattered laser pulses which are converted to spatially averaged strain measurements, typically at regular fiber intervals. DAS systems provide the potential to employ array processing algorithms. However, there are certain differences between DAS and conventional sensors. While seismic sensors typically record the directional particle displacement, velocity, or acceleration, the DAS axial strain is inherently proportional to the spatial gradient of the axial cable displacement. DAS is therefore insensitive to broadside displacement, for example, broadside P‐waves. In classical delay‐and‐sum beamforming, the array response function is the far‐field response on a horizontal slowness (or wavenumber) grid. However, for geometrically non‐linear DAS layouts, the angle between wavefront and cable varies, requiring the analysis of a steered response that varies with the direction of arrival. This contrasts with the traditional array response function which is given in terms of slowness difference between arrival and steering. This paper provides a framework for DAS steered response estimation accounting also for cable directivity and gauge‐length averaging – hereby demonstrating the applicability of DAS in array seismology and to assess DAS design aspects. It bridges a gap between DAS and array theory frameworks and communities, facilitating increased employment of DAS as a seismic array, while providing building blocks for the development of DAS array design tools. Plain Language Summary: This study considers optical fiber sensors to probe seismic waves. Laser light is emitted into the cable. Processing the signals encoded in the light returning back to the transmitter, we can resolve the effect of seismic waves on the cable. However, the optical cable is insensitive to waves arriving from broadside to the cable and the sensitivity is reduced for waves not arriving along the cable axis. Hence, there is a directional sensitivity to consider in the signal processing and in assessing the wavefield probing capability. This sensitivity depends on the cable layout geometry. In classical array processing with conventional sensors, the directivity is typically equal for all sensors. Here, the array response – a function of the array sensor layout – can be utilized to estimate the array's capability to resolve the direction of arrival of seismic waves. We demonstrate how to take this cable directivity into account when assessing the distributed optical sensing system direction of arrival resolution. Our tools can be applied when assessing cable layouts. In this work, we bridge the gap between classical array signal processing and the emerging field of distributed acoustical sensing system signal processing, allowing well‐established processing tools to be applied. Key Points: We model directional sensitivity and gauge length effects on distributed acoustic sensing systems using array signal processing theoryWe provide closed‐form expressions to estimate the steered response in slowness or wavenumber space for a given gauge length settingThe frameworks can also be used to in some extent compensate for the directivity which varies along a geometrically non‐linear cable layout [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Acoustic telemetry is now a key research tool used to quantify juvenile salmon survival, but transmitter size has limited past studies to larger smolts (> 130 mm fork length). New, smaller, higher-frequency transmitters (“tags”) allow studies on a larger fraction of the smolt size spectrum (> 95 mm); however, detection range and study duration are also reduced, introducing new challenges. The potential cost implications are not trivial. With these new transmitters in mind, we designed, deployed, and tested the performance of a dual-frequency receiver array design in the Discovery Islands region of British Columbia, Canada. We double-tagged 50 juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with large 69-kHz tags (VEMCO model V9-1H) and small 180-kHz tags (model V4-1H). The more powerful 69-kHz tags were used to determine fish presence in order to estimate the detection efficiency (DE) of the 180-kHz tags. We then compared the standard error of the survival estimate produced from the tracking data using the two tag types which has important implications for array performance and hypothesis testing in the sea. Results Perfect detection of the 69-kHz tags allowed us to determine the DE of the 180-kHz tags. Although the 180-kHz tags began to expire during the study, the estimated DE was acceptable at 76% (SE = 9%) when we include single detections. However, 95% confidence intervals on steelhead survival (64%) were 1.5 × larger for the 180-kHz tags (47–85% vs. 51–77% for 69 kHz) because of the reduced DE. Conclusions The array design performed well; however, single detections of the 180-kHz tags indicates that under slightly different circumstances the DE could have been compromised, emphasizing the need to carefully consider the interaction of animal migration characteristics, study design, and tag programming when designing telemetry arrays. To increase DE and improve the precision of 180 kHz-based survival estimates presented here requires either an increase in receiver density, an increase in tag sample size (and modified transmitter programming), or both. The optimal solution depends on transmitter costs, array infrastructure costs, annual maintenance costs, and array use (i.e., contributors). Importantly, the use of smaller tags reduces potential tag burden effects and allows early marine migration studies to be extended to Pacific salmon populations that have been previously impossible to study.

Sheet piles are significantly more prone to advanced corrosion rates due to accelerated low water corrosion. Current inspection and assessment techniques are costly, time-consuming and labour-intensive. Guided wave testing (GWT) has gained increased attention due to its capability of screening long distances; however, it has not been used previously to inspect the active zone in steel sheet piles. This paper focuses on the numerical modelling of wave propagation and defect detection in U-shaped piles to demonstrate the capabilities of GWT for the inspection of non-accessible areas of steel sheet piles. Two shear transducer arrays were designed, bearing high S H 0 mode purity and directionality. A wave propagation comparison study concluded that the back wall reflection signal from the web of a U-pile was 11.5% higher than the respective signal from the plate, and the excitation signal in the flange, at 5.65 m and 7.12 m, was respectively 35% and 46% less than the excitation signal in the web at the same distance. Defect reflection, measured from five representative defect scenarios, ranged from 7.5 to 47% of the signal amplitude in the web of the pile and 5 to 32.5% in the flange of the pile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of STT-MRAM technology is currently in progress and has been successively disclosed by major LSI vendors recently. In order to advance STT-MRAM technology and expand its areas of application, challenges relative to further device scaling need to be addressed. In this study, an increased wiring resistance in a deep sub-100 nm process by which the read operation yield is degraded was analyzed. The yield degradation was quantified by analyzing the conventional cell array using Monte-Carlo SPICE simulations. A new circuit was proposed to decrease the fail bit rate by an averaged reference voltage ($V_{\mathrm {ref}}$) generator. The simulated results indicated that the new $V_{\mathrm {ref}}$ generator improved the fail bit rate by 1 order of magnitude compared to the conventional array. To demonstrate the circuit operation, a 128 Mb STT-MRAM chip was designed and fabricated using 40 nm CMOS and 37 nm MTJ technologies. For the first time, the chip measurements successfully demonstrated the operation of the proposed device-variation tolerant array architecture with the averaged $V_{\mathrm {ref}}$ generator, presenting a 30 ns read access time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2-D mirrored aperture synthesis (2-D MAS), the array configuration determines the rank of the transformation matrix, which can affect the accuracy of the solved cosine visibilities. Ultimately, errors in solved cosine visibilities degrade the quality of reconstructed brightness temperature images. In this letter, the maximum rank of the transformation matrix is analyzed and proven by mathematical induction. An array optimization model of 2-D MAS based on the “maximum-rank” criterion is established, and optimal arrays are presented. Finally, the simulations and experiments are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the optimization model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in flexible integrated circuit technology and piezoelectric materials allow high-quality stretchable piezoelectric transducers to be built in a form that is easy to integrate with the body’s soft, curved, and time-dynamic surfaces. The resulting capabilities create new opportunities for studying disease states, monitoring health/wellness, building human–machine interfaces, and performing other operations. However, more widespread application scenarios are placing new demands on the high flexibility and small size of the array. This paper provides a 8 × 8 two-dimensional flexible ultrasonic array (2D-FUA) based on laser micromachining; a novel single-layer “island bridge” structure was used to design flexible array and piezoelectric array elements to improve the imaging capability on complex surfaces. The mechanical and acoustoelectric properties of the array are characterized, and a novel laser scanning and positioning method is introduced to solve the problem of array element displacement after deformation of the 2D-FUA. Finally, a multi-modal localization imaging experiment was carried out on the multi-target steel pin on the plane and curved surface based on the Verasonics system. The results show that the laser scanning method has the ability to assist the rapid imaging of flexible arrays on surfaces with complex shapes, and that 2D-FUA has wide application potential in medical-assisted localization imaging.

The estimation of Direction of Arrival (DoA) of guided ultrasonic waves is an important task in many Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) applications. The aim is to locate sources of elastic waves which can be generated by impacts or defects in the inspected structures. In this paper, the array geometry and the shape of the piezo-sensors are designed to optimize the DoA estimation on a pre-defined angular sector, from acquisitions affected by noise and interference. In the proposed approach, the DoA of a wave generated by a single source is considered as a random variable that is uniformly distributed in a given range. The wave velocity is assumed to be unknown and the DoA estimation is performed by measuring the Differences in Time of Arrival (DToAs) of wavefronts impinging on the sensors. The optimization procedure of sensors positioning is based on the computation of the DoA and wave velocity parameters Cramér-Rao Matrix Bound (CRMB) with a Bayesian approach. An efficient DoA estimator is found based on the DToAs Gauss-Markov estimator for a three sensors array. Moreover, a novel directive sensor for guided waves is introduced to cancel out undesired Acoustic Sources impinging from DoAs out of the given angles range. Numerical results show the capability to filter directional interference of the novel sensor and a considerably improved DoA estimation performance provided by the optimized sensor cluster in the pre-defined angular sector, as compared to conventional approaches.

The emergence of very large cohorts in genomic research has facilitated a focus on genotype-imputation strategies to power rare variant association. These strategies have benefited from improvements in imputation methods and association tests, however little attention has been paid to ways in which array design can increase rare variant association power. Therefore, we developed a novel framework to select tag SNPs using the reference panel of 26 populations from Phase 3 of the 1000 Genomes Project. We evaluate tag SNP performance via mean imputed r2 at untyped sites using leave-one-out internal validation and standard imputation methods, rather than pairwise linkage disequilibrium. Moving beyond pairwise metrics allows us to account for haplotype diversity across the genome for improve imputation accuracy and demonstrates population-specific biases from pairwise estimates. We also examine array design strategies that contrast multi-ethnic cohorts vs. single populations, and show a boost in performance for the former can be obtained by prioritizing tag SNPs that contribute information across multiple populations simultaneously. Using our framework, we demonstrate increased imputation accuracy for rare variants (frequency < 1%) by 0.5–3.1% for an array of one million sites and 0.7–7.1% for an array of 500,000 sites, depending on the population. Finally, we show how recent explosive growth in non-African populations means tag SNPs capture on average 30% fewer other variants than in African populations. The unified framework presented here will enable investigators to make informed decisions for the design of new arrays, and help empower the next phase of rare variant association for global health.

Background: Acoustic telemetry is now a key research tool used to quantify juvenile salmon survival, but transmitter size has limited past studies to larger smolts (> 130 mm fork length). New, smaller, higher-frequency transmitters ("tags") allow studies on a larger fraction of the smolt size spectrum (> 95 mm); however, detection range and study duration are also reduced, introducing new challenges. The potential cost implications are not trivial. With these new transmitters in mind, we designed, deployed, and tested the performance of a dual-frequency receiver array design in the Discovery Islands region of British Columbia, Canada. We double-tagged 50 juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with large 69-kHz tags (VEMCO model V9-1H) and small 180-kHz tags (model V4-1H). The more powerful 69-kHz tags were used to determine fish presence in order to estimate the detection efficiency (DE) of the 180-kHz tags. We then compared the standard error of the survival estimate produced from the tracking data using the two tag types which has important implications for array performance and hypothesis testing in the sea. Results: Perfect detection of the 69-kHz tags allowed us to determine the DE of the 180-kHz tags. Although the 180-kHz tags began to expire during the study, the estimated DE was acceptable at 76% (SE = 9%) when we include single detections. However, 95% confidence intervals on steelhead survival (64%) were 1.5 × larger for the 180-kHz tags (47–85% vs. 51–77% for 69 kHz) because of the reduced DE. Conclusions: The array design performed well; however, single detections of the 180-kHz tags indicates that under slightly different circumstances the DE could have been compromised, emphasizing the need to carefully consider the interaction of animal migration characteristics, study design, and tag programming when designing telemetry arrays. To increase DE and improve the precision of 180 kHz-based survival estimates presented here requires either an increase in receiver density, an increase in tag sample size (and modified transmitter programming), or both. The optimal solution depends on transmitter costs, array infrastructure costs, annual maintenance costs, and array use (i.e., contributors). Importantly, the use of smaller tags reduces potential tag burden effects and allows early marine migration studies to be extended to Pacific salmon populations that have been previously impossible to study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peptide arrays measure the binding intensity of a specific protein to thousands of amino acid peptides. By using peptides that cover all k-mers, a comprehensive picture of the binding spectrum is obtained. Researchers would like to measure binding to the longest k-mer possible but are constrained by the number of peptides that can fit into a single microarray. A key challenge is designing a minimum number of peptides that cover all k-mers. Here, we suggest a novel idea to reduce the length of the sequence covering all k-mers by utilizing a unique property of the peptide synthesis process. Since the synthesis can start from both ends of the peptide template, it is enough to cover each k-mer or its reverse and to use the same template twice: in forward and reverse. Then, the computational problem is to generate a minimum length sequence that for each k-mer either contains the k-mer or its reverse. In this study, we present a new algorithm, called ReverseCAKE, to generate such a sequence. ReverseCAKE runs in time linear in the output size and is guaranteed to produce a sequence that is longer by at most Θ ( n log n) characters compared with the optimum n. The obtained saving factor by ReverseCAKE approaches the theoretical lower bound as k increases. In addition, we formulated the problem as an integer linear program and empirically observed that the solutions obtained by ReverseCAKE are near-optimal. Through this work, we enable more effective design of peptide microarrays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider circular array design in the presence of a far-field or a near-field signal source. The location of the source is introduced to our optimization problem by its probability density function (PDF) as a priori information. We consider Bayesian Cramer–Rao bound as the cost function to be minimized to specify the best locations of the sensors on a circular boundary. In the far-field case, a closed form solution is derived for an arbitrary PDF of the bearing. In the near-field scenario, we divide the design problem into three categories: known source bearing, known source range, and the general case. We present some examples to exhibit the process of array design by the proposed method. Finally, we show the array optimized by the proposed method outperforms arrays with other configurations in source localization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sheet piles are significantly more prone to advanced corrosion rates due to accelerated low water corrosion. Current inspection and assessment techniques are costly, time-consuming and labour-intensive. Guided wave testing (GWT) has gained increased attention due to its capability of screening long distances; however, it has not been used previously to inspect the active zone in steel sheet piles. This paper focuses on the numerical modelling of wave propagation and defect detection in U-shaped piles to demonstrate the capabilities of GWT for the inspection of non-accessible areas of steel sheet piles. Two shear transducer arrays were designed, bearing high SH0 mode purity and directionality. A wave propagation comparison study concluded that the back wall reflection signal from the web of a U-pile was 11.5% higher than the respective signal from the plate, and the excitation signal in the flange, at 5.65 m and 7.12 m, was respectively 35% and 46% less than the excitation signal in the web at the same distance. Defect reflection, measured from five representative defect scenarios, ranged from 7.5 to 47% of the signal amplitude in the web of the pile and 5 to 32.5% in the flange of the pile.

For a polarization sensitive array (PSA) composed of electromagnetic vector sensors (EMVSs), all component-antennas of an EMVS are spatially collocated at a same location in the PSA, and mutual coupling introduced has an adverse effect on parameter estimation. The mutual coupling is not only among antennas in adjacent elements, namely, inter-element coupling (IEC), but also among component-antennas which are collocated to give an EMVS [namely inter-polarization coupling (IPC)]. In existing array design, component-antennas of each EMVS are spatially separated into different elements for IPC reduction, and then the spacing between EMVSs is increased for IEC reduction. However, such designed arrays are usually implemented as 2-D arrays which are large compared with linear arrays, and provide only ${O}({N})$ degrees of freedom (DOFs) with ${N}$ antennas. To overcome such problems, this paper proposes two kinds of spatially separated augmented nested vector-sensor arrays (SS-ANVSAs), which are linear arrays, can reduce both IEC and IPC, and provide ${O}({N}^{2})$ DOFs with ${N}$ antennas. Specifically, we introduce a scalar-sensor array and propose a sparse scalar-sensor array for IEC reduction, and then propose the SS-ANVSAs by restricting physical space and EMVSs’ number for IPC reduction. Theoretical analysis and simulation results are given to illustrate the superior performance of the SS-ANVSAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of an array configuration is an important task in array seismology during experiment planning. Often the array response function (ARF), which depends on the relative position of array stations and frequency content of the incoming signals, is used as the array design criterion. In practice, additional constraints and parameters have to be taken into account, for example, land ownership, site-specific noise levels or characteristics of the seismic sources under investigation. In this study, a flexible array design framework is introduced that implements a customizable scenario modelling and optimization scheme by making use of synthetic seismograms. Using synthetic seismograms to evaluate array performance makes it possible to consider additional constraints. We suggest to use synthetic array beamforming as an array design criterion instead of the ARF. The objective function of the optimization scheme is defined according to the monitoring goals, and may consist of a number of subfunctions. The array design framework is exemplified by designing a seven-station small-scale array to monitor earthquake swarm activity in Northwest Bohemia/Vogtland in central Europe. Two subfunctions are introduced to verify the accuracy of horizontal slowness estimation; one to suppress aliasing effects due to possible secondary lobes of synthetic array beamforming calculated in horizontal slowness space and the other to reduce the event's mislocation caused by miscalculation of the horizontal slowness vector. Subsequently, a weighting technique is applied to combine the subfunctions into one single scalar objective function to use in the optimization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the problem of far-field sensing by means of a sensor array. Traditional array geometry design techniques are agnostic to prior information about the far-field scene. However, in many applications such priors are available and may be utilized to design more efficient array topologies. We formulate the problem of array geometry design with scene prior as one of finding a sampling configuration that enables efficient inference, which turns out to be a combinatorial optimization problem. While generic combinatorial optimization problems are NP-hard and resist efficient solvers, we show how for array design problems the theory of submodular optimization may be utilized to obtain efficient algorithms that are guaranteed to achieve solutions within a constant approximation factor from the optimum. We leverage the connection between array design problems and submodular optimization and port several results of interest. We demonstrate efficient methods for designing arrays with constraints on the sensing aperture, as well as arrays respecting combinatorial placement constraints. This novel connection between array design and submodularity suggests the possibility for utilizing other insights and techniques from the growing body of literature on submodular optimization in the field of array design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with near-field source localization for scenarios where coherent narrowband sources exist. In this paper, we propose a new method in which we design a general planar array with a covariance matrix whose rank is not decreased by the coherence between sources. Moreover, conditions for the sensor locations in the designed planar array are derived to reach maximum effective array aperture. The proposed method uses second order statistics and features a separable range-bearing search to reduce the computational complexity. This method localizes near-field sources with a number of one-dimensional searches in two steps. In the first step, ranges of sources is estimated using one 1D search and in the second step, the bearing of each signal source is estimated using the corresponding range estimated in the first step. Simulation results show that the performance of the proposed method is comparable with the Cramer-Rao bound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of designing simplified and cost-effective versions of large phased arrays for a preliminary, but meaningful, experimental testing of a selected set of radiation requisites of the final/complete layouts is addressed. With reference to an array architecture composed by a wide set of equal (or different, even though limited to a finite number of sizes) functional blocks, each one containing the feeding network and the control line for a cluster of elements having independent transmit-receive modules, a novel and ad-hoc method is proposed for determining and selecting the minimum set of blocks of the fully populated array and the excitations of their elements to guarantee the fulfilment of a requested subset of performance of the final/complete arrangement. Representative results are shown and discussed to point out the peculiarities and the potential impact on the active electronically scanned array production cycle of the topic at hand as well as the effectiveness and the potentialities of the proposed design methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Array design is the primary consideration for array signal processing, and sparse array design is an important and challenging task. In underwater acoustic environments, the vector hydrophone array contains more information than the scalar hydrophone array, but there are few articles focused on the design of the vector hydrophone array. The difference between the vector hydrophone array and the scalar hydrophone array is that each vector hydrophone has three or four channels. When designing a sparse vector hydrophone array, these channels need to be optimized at the same time to ensure the sparsity of the array elements’ number. To solve this problem, this paper introduced the compressed sensing (CS) theory into the vector hydrophone array design, constructed the vector hydrophone array design problem into a globally solvable optimization problem, proposed a CS-based algorithm with the L1 norm suitable for vector hydrophone array, and realized the simultaneous optimization of multiple channels from the same vector hydrophone. At the same time, the off-grid algorithm was added to obtain higher design accuracy. Two design examples verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The theoretical analysis and simulation results show that compared with the conventional compressed sensing algorithm with the same aperture, the algorithm proposed in this paper used fewer vector hydrophone elements to obtain better fitting of the desired beam pattern.

The structural integrity assessment of thermoplastic pipes has become an interesting area of research due to its elevated usage in the liquid/gas transportation industry. Ultrasonic guided wave testing has gained higher attention from industry for the inspection of elongated structures due to the reduced inspection time and cost associated with conventional non-destructive testing techniques, e.g., ultrasonic testing, radiography, and visual inspection. Current research addresses the inspection of thermoplastic pipes using ultrasonic guided waves as a low cost and permanently installed structural health-monitoring tool. Laboratory and numerical investigations were conducted to study the potential of using ultrasonic guided waves to assess the structural health of thermoplastic pipe structures in order to define optimum frequency range for inspection, array design, and length of inspection. In order to achieve a better surface contact, flexible Macro-Fiber Composite transducers were used in this investigation, and the Teletest® Focus+ system was used as the pulser/receiver. Optimum frequency range of inspection was at 15−25 kHz due to the level of attenuation at higher frequencies and the larger dead zone at lower frequencies due to the pulse length. A minimum of 14 transducers around the circumference of a 3 inch pipe were required to suppress higher order flexural modes at 16 kHz. According to the studied condition, 1.84 m of inspection coverage could be achieved at a single direction for pulse-echo, which could be improved by using a higher number of transducers for excitation and using pitch-catch configuration.

The emergence of very large cohorts in genomic research has facilitated a focus on genotypeimputation strategies to power rare variant association. These strategies have benefited from improvements in imputation methods and association tests, however little attention has been paid to ways in which array design can increase rare variant association power. Therefore, we developed a novel framework to select tag SNPs using the reference panel of 26 populations from Phase 3 of the 1000 Genomes Project. We evaluate tag SNP performance via mean imputed r2 at untyped sites using leave-one-out internal validation and standard imputation methods, rather than pairwise linkage disequilibrium. Moving beyond pairwise metrics allows us to account for haplotype diversity across the genome for improve imputation accuracy and demonstrates population-specific biases from pairwise estimates. We also examine array design strategies that contrast multi-ethnic cohorts vs. single populations, and show a boost in performance for the former can be obtained by prioritizing tag SNPs that contribute information across multiple populations simultaneously. Using our framework, we demonstrate increased imputation accuracy for rare variants (frequency < 1%) by 0.5-3.1% for an array of one million sites and 0.7-7.1% for an array of 500,000 sites, depending on the population. Finally, we show how recent explosive growth in non-African populations means tag SNPs capture on average 30% fewer other variants than in African populations. The unified framework presented here will enable investigators to make informed decisions for the design of new arrays, and help empower the next phase of rare variant association for global health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active noise control (ANC) techniques have been successfully investigated and implemented for the attenuation of stationary acoustic noise. Furthermore, adaptive methods for impulsive noise have been also presented in the literature, even though the considered statistical models are well suited only for a narrow class of impulsive disturbances that can be faced in realistic scenarios. In this paper, a preliminary study addressing the design of a non-adaptive deterministic ANC system for pulse signals is developed by avoiding any statistical assumption. The theory of Wave Field Synthesis is explicitly exploited in a destructive manner, that is, generating a canceling acoustic pressure field by means of arrays of secondary sources. An ad-hoc interactive software simulator implementing the proposed approach is realized and used to virtually explore the solution spaces of some test case scenarios. Simulations’ results considering linear and planar arrays in the case of free space propagation, as well as in the case of interaction with a hard ground, are presented and compared. Furthermore, the impact of different design solutions proposed to mitigate the impairments due to terrain reflections is evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miniaturised transceivers are essential in multiband wireless communication systems for higher data rates and low power consumption. Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) resonator filters are actively considered for deployment in transceivers for radio frequency and intermediate frequency (IF) signal filter and oscillator applications. In this study, the authors propose dual frequency capacitive transduced MEMS resonator with two‐port electrical configuration. Clamped–clamped beam resonator was selected to serve as a basic resonant tank for the filter concept validation. Five design strategies low loss structural material, array design, mixed electrical and mechanical coupling scheme, sub‐micro meter transduction gap and large transduction area were explored. With these strategies, the device achieves dual band filter characteristics, narrow pass band, desired bandwidth, low insertion loss and better stop band rejection. Dual frequency response of the proposed resonator is demonstrated at centre frequencies 400 kHz and 2.57 MHz with a narrow pass band of 3 and 20 kHz, respectively. Low insertion loss of 19.8 and 25.6 dB for frequencies centred at 400 kHz and 2.57 MHz, respectively and stop band rejection >35 dB was achieved. The proposed MEMS resonator may be incorporated in the implementation of dual band pass filter for IF signal filter and dual frequency oscillator applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acoustical imaging systems are an important kind of instrumentation for underwater investigation. Currently, angular resolutions of most existing real-time underwater 3-D imaging systems are around 1°, which cannot meet the high-quality imaging requirement in a relatively far distance. Enhancing the angular resolution of a real-time 3-D imaging system needs enlarging the aperture size of its receiving 2-D array. However, the huge number of elements is not affordable for a traditional fully sampled uniform large 2-D array with half-wavelength interelement spacing to achieve a high angular resolution. This paper proposes the concept of ultralarge ultrasparse ultra-wideband (UUU) 2-D arrays for achieving the high angular resolution of underwater 3-D acoustical imaging systems. The design method of UUU 2-D arrays is demonstrated through the example of designing an annular 2-D array with only 100 elements. The capabilities of the designed annular UUU 2-D array are evaluated, showing that it can achieve a 0.1° angular resolution and a −32 dB maximum sidelobe level. The imaging simulations of complicated targets also demonstrate that the designed annular UUU 2-D array can satisfy the requirement of high-resolution underwater 3-D acoustical imaging. The element number of the designed annular UUU 2-D array is 4 orders of magnitude lower than that of a fully sampled uniform 2-D array, which provides a viable choice for developing high-resolution real-time underwater 3-D acoustical imaging systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]